2008 BMW 320i E90

[Camaro]

i'm a 1st time car buyer n im looking for a BMW the 1 i found is a 2008 320i E90 with 90 000KM on the clock for R149000, it has a full service history. Any advice i heard BMW's r expensive wen it comes to service.

 

[genetic]

Services on BMW don't really cost more than the average car these days. It's when something breaks that you have to bring out the tub of vaseline.

 

[Gaz{M}]

Why do you want to buy such a boring car with high mileage and "no driving pleasure"? Status?

As already stated, BMW's are no more expensive than any other R300k+ car to maintain. Generally they are quite reliable. I would always recommend you buy a decent aftermarket warrantee and I believe it is even possible to extend the BMW motorplan to 7yrs/200 000kms. This car might still be eligible.

 

[Badprop_za]

Agree with Gaz with regards to warranty.

For servicing, try and find a good reputable indie that is registered with RMI at least. I.e. Bosch Service Centres, Motolube, etc. Also, there is normally quite a few ex-BMW mechanics that opens their own workshop and is registered with RMI.

As Genetic said as well, it is an issue when something breaks. With regards to the warranty, read the T's and C's in terms of what they require. Some require servicing to be done at dealers. Also, check limits and ask around what it will cost to replace big items like engine, gearbox, etc. Sometimes you get a warranty that will only cover 40%.

 

[Brawler]

Just make sure you can afford it and have enough change left over for when something expensive goes wrong.

I have seen far too many young people buy an older car like this on 5 year HP on an already tight budget and then cry when it breaks.

 

[MR.C]

i'm a 1st time car buyer n im looking for a BMW the 1 i found is a 2008 320i E90 with 90 000KM on the clock for R149000, it has a full service history. Any advice i heard BMW's r expensive wen it comes to service.

If its got Motorplan then you got no worries. If you buying the car, enquire about extending the Motorplan, that's normally worth it as your worst case scenario of something big going wrong will be covered, And, you will get a better resale value if the car is still covered when you sell it on.

Once the Motorplan expires, you can't renew it.

 

[chrisc]

Its a bit old for that make/model. Get a Polo or a Honda Jazz, they don't cost much more than that new, and 10X more reliable

 

[werewolf2]

You get a nice driving setup (suspension) but a pretty unexciting engine with that make / model

Suggest you get a pre-purchase inspection and do the math about a budget for repairs next 3 to 5 years and see if you're still keen

- to each their own

 

[crysis]

Would rather look at a golf 2.0 liter. Its your first car (or first time buying?), do you need to get into the bmw experience first time round? With that budget, id look slightly down the food chain.

 

[Shake&Bake]

With that budget OP - there has to be more exciting 2.0 petrol variants out there.
You've only got a few months left of Motorplan.
But that's the same situation that I bought my current '05 320d E46 - so I can't preach to ya

Just for a petrol car - I'd look for at VW or maybe Opel. For grunt anyway - if you want the luxury sedan feel - then go with the Bimmer or even look at some Lexus IS250.
Lets not forget Audi - PostmanPot got a great deal looking around on a B7.

And also don't forget what everyone else has already mentioned here in the posts above

 

[konfab]

My mother has just sold her 320i E90. It had about 100k
A bit of advice:
These cars are designed to work perfectly in the motor plan. After that they start becoming expensive in terms of petrol, oil , services and insurance.
If the BMW badge is worth that much to you, then go for it.
Otherwise you should consider shopping around for something a little cheaper.

 

[Shake&Bake]

My mother has just sold her 320i E90. It had about 100k
A bit of advice:
These cars are designed to work perfectly in the motor plan. After that they start becoming expensive in terms of petrol, oil , services and insurance.
If the BMW badge is worth that much to you, then go for it.
Otherwise you should consider shopping around for something a little cheaper.

One sees these kind of lame responses all the time.
What exactly do you mean by that?
That they're built to breakdown after motorplan? Because then I'll stick with lame.

Or that you have to start throwing money at it for services and parts after motorplan?
Because that's the idea with them if you buy them new - you don't pay for jack as you get to the end of Motorplan and then trade in to buy another.
Its the most comprehensive servicing schedule wrt to cost and service you can get from a new car purchase IMO.

My own car is now on 202000 and is still pretty much a pleasure.
Little niggles here and there over the last 4 years, but nothing in relation to all the doomsday talk that one hears of - perhaps I've just been lucky.

 

[Badprop_za]

One sees these kind of lame responses all the time.
What exactly do you mean by that?
That they're built to breakdown after motorplan? Because then I'll stick with lame.

Or that you have to start throwing money at it for services and parts after motorplan?
Because that's the idea with them if you buy them new - you don't pay for jack as you get to the end of Motorplan and then trade in to buy another.
Its the most comprehensive servicing schedule wrt to cost and service you can get from a new car purchase IMO.

My own car is now on 202000 and is still pretty much a pleasure.
Little niggles here and there over the last 4 years, but nothing in relation to all the doomsday talk that one hears of - perhaps I've just been lucky.

Agree with you Shake&Bake. The problem you sit with is that people drives the living cr@p out of these cars while under plan as they don't have to pay for anything. I.e. not allowing the engine to reach optimal levels before driving them hard.

One of my friends only buy vehicles close to 100k on the clock and sell at 200k. Over the last 20 years he had only 1 lemon as the vehicle was in an accident to which he was unaware of. He has had 8 vehicles in total.

Vehicles should be treated the same way whether they are in or out of plan. Regular servicing, proper driving, etc. If you look after your car it will look after you.

 

[KhoisanX]

These cars are designed to work perfectly in the motor plan. After that they start becoming expensive in terms of petrol, oil , services and insurance.

How are the fuel consumption and insurance premiums related to the maintenance plan? If anything the car's lower value will lead to a lower insurance premium.

As others have said, the maintenance plan covers almost everything. The average person buying a six year old car isn't going to be nearly as comprehensive when it comes to maintenance (as opposed to servicing). Then they're surprised to find out that the need to replace thing like brake disks/pads etc., even wiper blades can be expensive, while all of these would have been covered by the maintenance plan.

 

[dlk001]

i'm a 1st time car buyer n im looking for a BMW the 1 i found is a 2008 320i E90 with 90 000KM on the clock for R149000, it has a full service history. Any advice i heard BMW's r expensive wen it comes to service.

Take the VIN, ask for a printout of the motorplan service history from any BMW dealership. You will get a detail of kms, repairs and/or service done, amount claimed against warranty and motorplan.

The cost of extending a motorplan for a 320i is about R1.20 per kilometer. I don't think its worth it on an E90 320i because those cars are fairly reliable. Rather get an extended warranty which is cheap and will cover mechanical breakdown.